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Software patent trolls and the threat to small business

Posted at 3:29 pm on July 18, 2011 / tagged: , / comments closed

While Congress is arguing points of policy labeled with “job-killer” rhetoric, perhaps they should look into what international patent trolls are doing to independent developers here in America. Independent developers have driven so much innovation in the last decade and have been a real bright spot in a very dismal economic climate. Craig Hockenberry, he of the Iconfactory, has a very sobering first-hand view of this as his company is the target of such litigation. He likens the current climate as “coding in a minefield,” an assessment with which I am in complete agreement. How do vague software patents held by non-practicing companies possibly contribute to an economic climate conducive to innovation and growth?

  • Deane T Rimerman

    I entirely agree that innovation in the US is stifled by this, yet bringing innovation to the market in Asia & SE Asia is stifled by the lack of it. As in you can’t enforce patent theft very well outside the US, especially in Asia & SE Asia.

    And this is a lucrative line of work. I mean Microsoft is making $3 million dollars a day off of Android because of their patent trolling… And record company associations get away with terrorizing poor people and collecting royalties on behalf of musicians they sometimes don’t even represent… And the musicians they do represent never see any of that money becaue of contracting gimmicks.

    Seems that sleezeball opportunists making money off the hard work of others is quite a popular line of work these days. Not sure what’s gonna change that? Maybe Anonymous? It’s a systemic problem and it has to get way more outrageous before it gets better!

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